


8) Just Let Me Be

by Iarollane



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Member Death, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21865480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iarollane/pseuds/Iarollane
Summary: The fallout of the mission where Leandra dies, from Mariah's perspective.
Relationships: Fenris/Female Hawke
Kudos: 8
Collections: Fulfilled prompts from various people





	8) Just Let Me Be

**Author's Note:**

> This was written after 'Suss out the Situation' but it takes place before it, by probably a couple of days.  
> Also there's a 'The Princess Bride' reference, just because.

**Prompt 8 :** "Can you stay?"

==

She scrubbed at her eyes, breathing deep to stifle the sob threatening.

Leandra was **gone**.

**Her mother was gone.**

Garren's accusations rang in her ears. _"It's your fault,"_ he'd yelled. _"You're the one that didn't want to use blood magic."_ And the last before he'd stormed away, _"We could have made it, if you'd just let me use blood magic."_

And maybe he was right. They'd reached her too late to do more than kill the bastard, then hear their mother's last whispered words.

She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her face on her knees and rocking, her back hitting against the walls with every repetition.

"Mariah?" A low voice reached her. From the corner of her eye she saw a pair of bare feet round the edge of her bed, and curled tighter in on herself. Fenris cursed softly, and then his arms were there, pulling her out of the ball she'd made of herself. He gathered her, picking her up and sitting on the bed with her on his lap.

Her arms were around his neck, her face pressed into his shoulder, and the sob that she'd been trying to suppress burst out of her. He didn't say anything, just hummed quietly, a lullaby by the sound of it. His hand stroked up and down her back, and after a long while she quieted.

She stayed like that, letting the comfort of his arms lull her and chase away all the doubt, until she was almost asleep. When he shifted, laying her out on her bed, she watched him with eyes mostly shut. When he moved to leave, she called out to him.

"Fenris." Her voice felt thick. "Please. Can you stay?"

He hesitated. "I'm not- are you sure you want me here?"

She nodded. "No expectations," she promised. "I won't push you for anything. I just... I need to not be alone, right now." After another long pause, he laid beside her. She immediately snuggled close, resting the tip of her nose in the crook of his neck. "Are you really going to sleep with all that spiky armor on?" At his look, she lifted a hand. "Joking! At least mostly."

She let her hand fall into his, her fingertips touching his palm. After a moment his hand closed around hers. Before he could do anything like ask how she was, she murmured, "I liked that thing you were humming. What was it?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "It was just... there, when I needed it."

Another stretch of silence. She felt him shift, then draw breath to speak. Before he could, she put a finger to his lips. "Don't ask. Just let me **be** , without having to think, for a little while," she whispered.

He turned towards her, gently kissing her forehead. "As you wish," he replied.

**Author's Note:**

> There is a prompt fill happening concurrently to this one, but from Garren's point of view. In it, you'll get a bit of a surprising revelation. But it is much later in the Fictober list so it might be a bit til it's uploaded. If you want to see it now, you can head over to my Tumblr; all my Fictober prompts were posted there as I completed them.


End file.
